Leading with Humility

Mickey Harte, All Ireland Winning Football Manager

There are many people that feel being a leader is about taking charge, having authority or a position to tell others what to do or to win influence over others because of self accomplishment. That isn’t leadership, its power and they are two very different things. If you want to be seen as a leader, to stand out or emerge as a leader in your work or life, this will more than likely stem more from the desire of power than it does from leadership. A more enlightened view would suggest that quality leadership should be much more humane. Recognising and acknowledging that your employees and colleagues are doing things well can act as a catalyst for even greater productivity. Research has proved that people prefer praise to almost any other type of reward, they like to be recognised for the effort that they are putting in, and it is key to remember that in price sensitive times, PRAISE IS FREE.

Building rapport is central to creating positive relationships within any group, team or organisation. To get 30 men working together as one, I need to create a positive environment, we have to remember there is a balance to be achieved between work and relaxation. It is important that we encounter people where they are, not where we would like them to be, it is our job as the leaders to recognise what their strengths are and to work with that individual to realise their full potential.

We need to check our tendency for the need to always be right and rather work on our capacity to connect. People in our organisation need to feel valued by affording them sincere appreciation when appropriate not mere lip service. This is especially true for individuals who make those valuable ‘assists’ which often go unnoticed yet without which the end product would not happen. Ask yourself the question, who do you value as your most important employee? Is it the employee with the highest sales figures, or the receptionist who greats all potential and existing clients? The same is true for the personnel included in the Tyrone panel, the man who organises the kit is just as important as the All-Star winning full-forward. Each person has a role to play, that combines to ensure the continued success of the team.

Leadership, however, is much more about facilitating unique individuals to deliver the best that they have got rather than striving for a team of clones. Quality leaders view their people as a resource. They care about their people and what is going on in their lives. The ability to communicate is a vital skill in this role. This involves active listening, that is listening to understand not listening to respond. Good leaders communicate frequently and they ensure that they listen to what is being said. To be effective and successful leaders we must be about the business of helping our people search for and recognise their added value. Industriousness and enthusiasm (both of which are infectious) must be our trademark. The current Tyrone captain Brian Dooher’s work rate on the Tyrone team virtually demands a similar response from those around him, he leads by example.

Leadership and discipline are essential companions.

Aristotle once said: ‘We are what we repeatedly do, excellence therefore is not an act but a habit.’

Success usually accompanies strict attention to little details. Discipline of choice is much more effective than that which is imposed. Live your message, go from knowing what’s right, to doing what’s right, to being what’s right. It’s essential to adopt the belief that people work with you as the leader, never for you. Today’s leadership must learn to be more concerned with empowerment than power. True leaders realize that answers are important but questions are essential. When you ask questions of people, you empower rather than overpower them. Listening to others is a sign of strength. Ultimately a leaders target is to be a liberator, not a limiter of people’s highest talents. In the final analysis the growth of your company is directly proportional to the growth of your people.

Mickey Harte, current All-Ireland winning manger with Tyrone currently works as an associate trainer with Innovo Training and Development delivering leadership programmes that make a real and lasting contribution to the success of an organisation. To enquire about Leadership and Management Training courses on offer by Innovo Training and Development, please contact Innovo Training and Development on 01 490 3237 or info@innovotraining.ie